As a young graduate student in quest of an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis, Kevin Erbs was presented with a career-development opportunity he couldn’t refuse.

Through Wash U’s Center for Experiential Learning, grad students can apply to become Olin/United Way Board Fellows. Once accepted, board fellows build leadership skills and nonprofit governance knowledge by serving as board members at United Way organizations around St. Louis.

In late 2020, Kevin was selected for the program and matched up with Starkloff Disability Institute, an organization at the very top of his list.

“Starkloff really stood out because they’re not just giving people a handout for today,” Kevin describes. “They’re really focused on positioning people for long-term success through meaningful careers.”

Kevin earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science along with a minor in Business Administration from the University of Dayton in 2012. In addition to his graduate studies, Kevin currently works in procurement at Boeing, a career he’s thrived in for the past seven years. He expects to use his business acumen to make a difference at SDI.

“One of the projects I’ll be working on is restructuring the consulting services we offer to businesses to hopefully generate some recurring revenue for the organization,” Kevin explains. “As a team, we have a set goal in mind and a clear path to implementation, so it’s going to be an exciting project.”

Although in-person interaction has been limited due to the pandemic, Kevin was able to meet with Director of Development Scott Thompson for a tour of the SDI offices. He also plans to sit in on sessions of the Career Academy Course and other upcoming program events.

While Kevin would much rather stop by the office periodically to hang out and meet people face to face, he says the shift to a virtual environment has made it easier to juggle job, school and SDI responsibilities.

“Zoom has allowed me to move my schedule around, be involved in group projects and attend staff meetings without missing any work,” Kevin acknowledges. “I don’t know if I would’ve necessarily been able to fulfill all those obligations if I were working in person.”

Virtual or otherwise, there’s not a lot of downtime in Kevin’s day, but that’s the way he likes it.

“At this point, I really like what I’m doing. Even when it comes to schoolwork and reading, I feel like I’m learning a lot, and I’ve enjoyed getting to apply it and be part of a great organization,” Kevin concludes. “Free time is a little lacking, but it’s all good. It’s all stuff I want to be doing.”